In my last recruiting update, I mentioned that it appeared that Michigan Tech’s roster was set aside from adding a third goaltender. It turns out that I had spoken too soon, as there are a couple of changes to report on.
We’ll start with the bad news: Cade Neilson, who originally committed to Michigan Tech via the transfer portal in late April, will no longer be heading to Houghton and has instead signed a short-term professional contract with the Glasgow Clan in his native Great Britain. This is a fairly significant loss for the Huskies, as Neilson had 19 points a season ago for Alaska-Fairbanks and was the odds-on favorite to begin the year as Tech’s #2 center. It appears that Neilson’s decision to sign a professional contract may have been related to academics, though there is no concrete information available on that front.
Huskies fans did not have to wait long for news about a replacement for Neilson to break, as later in the same day it was revealed that forward Stiven Sardarian would be joining Michigan Tech via the transfer portal. Sardarian’s story this summer has been an interesting one, as he had originally committed to Northern Michigan after leaving the University of New Hampshire, where he had spent the past two seasons. Sardarian re-entered the portal upon the departure of Northern Michigan head coach Grant Potulny and his staff, and evidently decided on the Huskies.
While he might now be public enemy number one in Marquette, Sardarian should find plenty of opportunities to shine in Houghton. Sardarian’s game oozes skill and creativity, so much so that he was selected in the third round of the 2021 NHL draft by the Buffalo Sabres. While Sardarian has not been as impressive as you would expect a former third rounder to be in junior and collegiate hockey, there’s still plenty of upside here. Primarily deployed as a winger at UNH, Sardarian has played some center in junior and was often described as having “center tendencies” throughout his draft process (Mostly thanks to his high-end transition and distribution abilities). It remains to be seen what Michigan Tech’s staff will settle on as a 2C solution, but Sardarian figures to be a part of the conversation. All in all, despite somewhat pedestrian production over his two seasons at UNH (21 points over 62 games), Sardarian is a nice piece for the Huskies to add and represents a unique solution to an unexpected problem.
Featured photo courtesy of UNH Athletics
Nathan is currently a student at Michigan Tech, studying Engineering Management. He cultivated his love for the game over a 10 year youth hockey career and is excited to bring his passion to Tech Hockey Guide and Michigan Tech hockey. While not at school, Nathan resides in the Chicagoland area
